Current intensive migration trends, which many societies and states are experiencing
as a result of economic globalization, have not by-passed Israel. Emigration from Israel is unique in that its principal treatment comes from the parent country, Israel, and much less from the destination countries. The main reason for this is that, in Israel, emigration is viewed as a contradiction of the Zionist tenet of theingathering of exiles.
Thus, in the past, the policy of Israeli governments toward Israeliexpats has ranged from ignoring them to denouncing them.In recent years, however, there has been an accumulation of factors in light of which Israeli government policy – and that of Jewish communities around the world – toward
Israeli migrants in general and their children in particular, should be reconsidered.
The main reasons are: the number of Israelis who are not living in Israel; Israeli expat communities are more significantly established and rooted abroad, especially in North America; globalization processesand trends; and most of all, the emergence of a second generation for whom Jewish Identity was formed outside of Israel, and if current trends continue, is expected to undergo accelerated assimilation processes. This is the subject of this paper.
To read the full paper: Changing the Relationship Model: Israel, Israeli Migrants, and Jewish Communities